# An Experiment in Stoving Pipe Tobacco...



## Neuromancer (Sep 7, 2005)

Recently I was gifted a tin (50g) of McCranie's Red Ribbon ('96 VA) and while I liked it I had a problem with it...I could taste the sweetness of the VA, but the bite just about killed me...so, I had a choice of trading it as an opened tin or playing with it and I decided to play...since I'm extremely fond of VA/PERS and I had some McClellands' Blending Perique I thought why the hell not? So I added 10g of Perique to it so it would be about 80/20 VA/PER by weight, then I let it sit for about a month so the flavors would blend...when I finally tasted it, it was better...less bite, but it was sort of flat...no zest, nothing leapt out at me about the taste, so I let it sit for a while trying to figure out what to do with it...then it hit me...why not try my hand at stoving using this as a candidate? Since I didn't have a crock pot and I didn't have mason jars I had to get a little creative...what I did have was an oven and one of those little clay crockery thingies with a lid, like they serve onion soup in...so I preheated my oven to 200 degrees and dumped the 60g of tobacco in the little pot...to keep the moisture in and seal it off, I double-wrapped the thing in aluminum foil...then stuck it in the oven for two hours...the smell that came from the kitchen was incredible...it made my mouth water...after the timer went off I took it out and let it cool before unwrapping it so the tobacco would re-absorb any moisture still within the crockery...I let it cool to room temperature, and upon opening it I discovered the tobacco had gotten dark and the aroma was fantastic...then came the taste test...whoa! That's what I was looking for...it was great...the bite was mostly gone...the sweetness of the VA was definitely there, but a touch more subtle, added to a little zing and spiciness from the perique...sweet and salty...great combination...so this was a successful experiment...now I'll really enjoy the 15-20 bowls or so I'll get from that tin...and I think I'm gonna try this again...I had bought a number of different Va/Pers to try as McClelland's St. James Woods is one of my favorites and I wanted to see what else was out there...one of the Va/Pers I tried was their #2015...it was good but not as good as the SJW...so I think I'll see what happens when I stove it...I also have a tin of S. Gawith St. James Flake which is okay, but just not flavorful enough for me...so I think I'll try stoving that too...should be interesting...


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## ShawnP (Oct 18, 2005)

Man that is the way to make your baccy your own, nice job. Looks like the next time I get hold of something I don't like I will try this.


Good job man & thanks for sharing with all of us.



Enjoy your new tin  


Shawn


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## Neuromancer (Sep 7, 2005)

Works best with Virginia's from what I understand...I don't think stoving an English or an Aromatic would do any good...


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## burninator (Jul 11, 2006)

Great idea! I may have to try this.


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## ShawnP (Oct 18, 2005)

Neuromancer said:


> Works best with Virginia's from what I understand...I don't think stoving an English or an Aromatic would do any good...


Good to know, I like VAs anyway the most anyway 

Shawn


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## EvanS (Dec 29, 2006)

I have been interested in stoving of late but am curious...is stoving a replacement or acceleration of aging or is it simply a way to change flavor and attributes? Also, what are the ramifications of additional aging after stoving?
It almost sounds too simple, easy and too good to be true that you can "cook" something and have it arguably taste and act better (personal preference, I know) - yet have no real downside? Is there a drawback to stoving? Maybe the tobac doesn't continue to age, maybe it fades quickly afterwards...etc??

thanks gang...I'm learning!!!


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

EvanS said:


> I have been interested in stoving of late but am curious...is stoving a replacement or acceleration of aging or is it simply a way to change flavor and attributes? Also, what are the ramifications of additional aging after stoving?
> It almost sounds too simple, easy and too good to be true that you can "cook" something and have it arguably taste and act better (personal preference, I know) - yet have no real downside? Is there a drawback to stoving? Maybe the tobac doesn't continue to age, maybe it fades quickly afterwards...etc??
> 
> thanks gang...I'm learning!!!


For what it's worth, I have completed a number of stoving experiments over the years, some have turned out very well, and others were not very successful, at least IMO. Most of my successes were with blends, where Virginia's or Burley's were the dominant tobacco. I cannot explain what stoving does scientifically, but I can say that it is not the same thing as aging. The changes that take place and the resulting flavor profiles are not the same. Aging is a very slow process, in which the natural fermentation of the tobaccos, create changes. Stoving is usually a very short process, from a few hours to a month or so. The heat used to stove a tobacco forces chemical changes within the tobaccos. Of course the flavor profiles change as well, but in a different way than via a natural aging process.

In my opinion, once a tobacco has been stoved, there will be no further improvement from short or long term aging.

Johnny


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

Neuromancer said:


> I had bought a number of different Va/Pers to try as McClelland's St. James Woods is one of my favorites and I wanted to see what else was out there...one of the Va/Pers I tried was their #2015...it was good but not as good as the SJW...so I think I'll see what happens when I stove it...I also have a tin of S. Gawith St. James Flake which is okay, but just not flavorful enough for me...so I think I'll try stoving that too...should be interesting...


If I may, I'd like to suggest the following va/perique blends for you to try, if you already have not!

A few of my all time favorites are:

G&S - Royal Jersey Perique
Dan Tobacco - Treasures of Ireland Limerick
Esoterica - Dorchester
C&D - Briar Fox

Johnny


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## dayplanner (Dec 11, 1997)

I second the Briar Fox - simply delicious!

p


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## EvanS (Dec 29, 2006)

JohnnyFlake said:


> .....The changes that take place and the resulting flavor profiles are not the same. Aging is a very slow process, in which the natural fermentation of the tobaccos, create changes. ........Of course the flavor profiles change as well, but in a different way than via a natural aging process.
> 
> In my opinion, once a tobacco has been stoved, there will be no further improvement from short or long term aging.
> 
> Johnny


thanks Johnny, that's a LOT of what I was looking for (scary that you knew what I was thinking). Cheers!! :al


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